Short-circuited microbial fuel cell enhanced denitrification in pyrite packed-bed bioreactor

IF 3.7 3区生物学 Q2 BIOTECHNOLOGY & APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY

Biochemical Engineering Journal Pub Date : 2025-03-11 DOI:10.1016/j.bej.2025.109720

Xuexi Fang, Xinhua Tang, Shiyang Zhang, Jialong Xiao, Xingyuan Li

{"title":"Short-circuited microbial fuel cell enhanced denitrification in pyrite packed-bed bioreactor","authors":"Xuexi Fang, Xinhua Tang, Shiyang Zhang, Jialong Xiao, Xingyuan Li","doi":"10.1016/j.bej.2025.109720","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Pyrite autotrophic denitrification (PAD) faces challenges in electron utilization efficiency for treating low C/N wastewater. Here, we proposed a short-circuited microbial fuel cell (SMFC) integrated with a pyrite-packed bioreactor to overcome these limitations. Unlike conventional MFCs requiring external circuits, the SMFC employed an internal short-circuited design (direct anode-cathode connection via titanium wires), eliminating external power supply while enabling spontaneous electron transfer from the anode to the cathode. This configuration enhanced total nitrogen (TN) removal by 7.93 % compared to standalone PAD, with effluent NO₂⁻-N stably below 1 mg/L. High-throughput sequencing revealed that <em>Phycisphaerae</em> (27 % abundance on the cathode) was a key genus, utilizing bioelectrons from the SMFC to drive complete nitrite reduction via dissimilatory Onr genes. The SMFC-PAD system achieved a 28.4 % increase in electron utilization efficiency by optimizing electron flux between pyrite oxidation (anode) and denitrification (cathode), overcoming intermediate accumulation of nitrite in traditional PAD. This work demonstrated a cost-effective strategy for denitrification by leveraging spatial electron regulation and microbial-electrochemical synergies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8766,"journal":{"name":"Biochemical Engineering Journal","volume":"219 ","pages":"Article 109720"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7000,"publicationDate":"2025-03-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Biochemical Engineering Journal","FirstCategoryId":"5","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1369703X25000944","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"BIOTECHNOLOGY & APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Abstract

Pyrite autotrophic denitrification (PAD) faces challenges in electron utilization efficiency for treating low C/N wastewater. Here, we proposed a short-circuited microbial fuel cell (SMFC) integrated with a pyrite-packed bioreactor to overcome these limitations. Unlike conventional MFCs requiring external circuits, the SMFC employed an internal short-circuited design (direct anode-cathode connection via titanium wires), eliminating external power supply while enabling spontaneous electron transfer from the anode to the cathode. This configuration enhanced total nitrogen (TN) removal by 7.93 % compared to standalone PAD, with effluent NO₂⁻-N stably below 1 mg/L. High-throughput sequencing revealed that Phycisphaerae (27 % abundance on the cathode) was a key genus, utilizing bioelectrons from the SMFC to drive complete nitrite reduction via dissimilatory Onr genes. The SMFC-PAD system achieved a 28.4 % increase in electron utilization efficiency by optimizing electron flux between pyrite oxidation (anode) and denitrification (cathode), overcoming intermediate accumulation of nitrite in traditional PAD. This work demonstrated a cost-effective strategy for denitrification by leveraging spatial electron regulation and microbial-electrochemical synergies.

查看原文本刊更多论文

求助全文

约1分钟内获得全文求助全文

来源期刊

Biochemical Engineering Journal 工程技术-工程：化工

CiteScore

7.10

自引率

5.10%

发文量

380

审稿时长

34 days

期刊介绍： The Biochemical Engineering Journal aims to promote progress in the crucial chemical engineering aspects of the development of biological processes associated with everything from raw materials preparation to product recovery relevant to industries as diverse as medical/healthcare, industrial biotechnology, and environmental biotechnology. The Journal welcomes full length original research papers, short communications, and review papers* in the following research fields: Biocatalysis (enzyme or microbial) and biotransformations, including immobilized biocatalyst preparation and kinetics Biosensors and Biodevices including biofabrication and novel fuel cell development Bioseparations including scale-up and protein refolding/renaturation Environmental Bioengineering including bioconversion, bioremediation, and microbial fuel cells Bioreactor Systems including characterization, optimization and scale-up Bioresources and Biorefinery Engineering including biomass conversion, biofuels, bioenergy, and optimization Industrial Biotechnology including specialty chemicals, platform chemicals and neutraceuticals Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering including bioartificial organs, cell encapsulation, and controlled release Cell Culture Engineering (plant, animal or insect cells) including viral vectors, monoclonal antibodies, recombinant proteins, vaccines, and secondary metabolites Cell Therapies and Stem Cells including pluripotent, mesenchymal and hematopoietic stem cells; immunotherapies; tissue-specific differentiation; and cryopreservation Metabolic Engineering, Systems and Synthetic Biology including OMICS, bioinformatics, in silico biology, and metabolic flux analysis Protein Engineering including enzyme engineering and directed evolution.